August 2017 issue

On sale June 21

FEATURES

• Stuttgart Six. There are still some Porsches within the realms of relative affordability. We shortlist and drive the best – 911 SC, 924 S, 928 S4, 944 Cabrio, 996 and Cayman S• The List. After being left awestruck on reading about one as a youngster, our reader finally fulfils his dream of sampling some rare British beef that appears to have been cut with a chisel – the Aston Martin Lagonda Series II• Home at last. After 33 years in America, Raymond Baxter’s steed for the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally – this Aston Martin DB MkIII prototype – is back on UK soil. We drive it• Epic Restoration. We follow the restoration of a Mercedes SL Pagoda that arrived resembling a collander and left as an exemplar, testing every ounce of a marque specialist’s resolve along the way• Life Cycle. The Gilbern GT1800 whose early-life road crash initiated a 50-year competition career – from which it still bears battle scars and homespun modifications• The Collector. The Londoner who keeps his classics in his landscaped garden• Why I Love... Brian Hart’s autobiography, by Cosworth co-founder Mike Costin

Columnists

• Quentin Willson on the lost art of employing character judgement as a buying tool• Tom Tjaarda At the request of his family we’ll be publishing the late great’s final columns• Gordon Murray pays tribute to John Surtees, the childhood hero who became a friend• Simon Kidston on the sadly departed king of suave, Sir Roger Moore

The month in cars

• Barn finds. Shabby Aston DB2 Vantage charmingly shatters Monaco chic; potential life-partner projects found in Thailand; Ford Falcon quartet flies at Australian estate sale• Villa d’Este Concours. A Lamborghini Miura with a Sherlock connection surfaces, while an early Formula Junior precursor wins visitors’ hearts and judges’ votes• Events. The unique Fiat 1100 MM Berlinetta attacks the Mille Miglia mid-restoration, and a pair of obscure French fancies delight locals with their appearance on the Tour Auto• Tom Tjaarda obituary. We look back at the colourful life of a pillar of Italian car design, whose legacy will live on in cars from the Ford Fiesta to the Ferrari 365 California• Events planner. Five reasons why the Festival of the Unexceptional has become one of the most interesting events in the calendar, plus more free days in July-Aug to cross off• Next Month. Seventies grand-touring greats and a Diablo dream coming true• Your Letters. A run-in with the law and a more welcome surprise in the rear-view mirror